LA Lakers vs DEN Nuggets Odds, Player Props, Picks & Predictions (Feb 22)
By Chris Amberley in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The Denver Nuggets are 7-point home favorites over the LA Lakers tonight
- LA’s Luka Doncic (calf) will play after sitting out Thursday’s win
- See the Lakers vs Nuggets odds, player props, picks and predictions, below
Two of the West’s top-five teams meet tonight when the LA Lakers (33-21, 14-14 away) visit the Denver Nuggets (37-19, 20-8 home). Denver is riding the league’s longest active winning streak at nine games, and online sportsbooks expect their winning ways to continue per the latest NBA odds.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5:40pm PT / 8:40pm ET at Ball Arena, in Denver, CO, with ABC and ESPN+ providing the broadcast coverage.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Odds
The Nuggets are currently favored by 7-points, in a contest with a total of 241. Per the NBA public betting trends, the spread has moved half a point in Denver’s favor, while the total is up 1.5 points from its opener. The Nuggets are -270 moneyline favorites, with LA coming back as +220 underdogs.
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Odds as of Feb. 22 at Caesars. Check out SBD’s Caesars Sportsbook review to see the available sign-up bonuses.
Luka Doncic Injury Update
The big news heading into this contest is the health of Luka Doncic. LA’s prized acquisition sat out Thursday’s win over Portland as he manages a calf strain, but he will suit up tonight. That’s big for the Lakers providing he can flash signs of what made him great in Dallas.
LA enters play having lost 13 of its last 14 versus Denver. That includes their lone meeting this year, as well as a 1-8 postseason record versus against the Nuggets over the last two years.
Doncic has been underwhelming in his first three games as a Laker, but maybe a national audience will get him going. He’s averaging 14.7 points per game for LA, on 35.6% shooting. LA is 1-2 in those contests, losing to the second-worst team in each conference (Charlotte and Utah).
LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Predictions
- Denver Nuggets -7 (-110) at Caesars
Without Luka on Thursday, the Lakers nearly dropped another game to a cellar dweller. In the end, they narrowly prevailed over Portland, but it took LeBron James turning back the clock to make it happen. James poured in 40 points in 36 minutes of work. It was his second 40+ point game in his last five outings, after dropping 42 versus Golden State two weeks ago.
LeBron’s usage rate was sky-high on Thursday, but that shouldn’t be the case with Luka in the lineup. The Lakers are still figuring out how to manage the two stars, but in order for the partnership to work Luka is going to have to be handed the keys to the offense at some point.
LA ranks 20th in offensive rating so far with Doncic in the lineup. On too many possessions he’s merely a decoy, and he needs to the ball in his hands for the magic to happen. The change won’t happen overnight, but once his conditioning improves, the Lakers will look more like an NBA Championship odds contender.
Speaking of title contenders, the Nuggets have been unstoppable lately. Denver has racked up seven straight double-digit victories. Nikola Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season (29.7 / 12.7 / 10.2), while Jamal Murray is fresh off 55 and 34-point outbursts.
The Nuggets lead the league in offensive rating and true shooting percentage this month. Denver is second in NET rating, and top-10 in defensive rating. They’ve splashed at least 122 points in seven of nine games, and Jokic should feast versus Jaxon Hayes in the middle of the LA defense.
Until Doncic gets into game shape and LA finds an answer at center, continue to back the Nuggets in this head-to-head matchup.
LAL vs DEN Player Props
NBA player props from DraftKings Sportsbook on February 22.
Switching over to the player props market now, where under 8.5 points for Hayes is the target. Hayes is the fifth option among starters, and doesn’t see enough volume to clear this number. He averages less than four shots per game with Luka in the lineup, and the lone time he cleared this total he needed a perfect shooting night to do so.
LA’s entire goal on offense is to create a mismatch for either Doncic, James or Austin Reaves. Hayes is an afterthought. To make matters worse, he has to guard Jokic. That’s likely going to lead to foul trouble and potentially a reduction in minutes. As for his own offense, he doesn’t get to the line and he doesn’t shoot threes. Taking the under is an easy play.
- Prop Pick: Jaxson Hayes Under 8.5 Points (-130) at Caesars
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
